Instagram for Ecommerce: 9 Tips to Writing Killer Captions

For ecommerce and Amazon sellers, there’s a lot to love about Instagram marketing. It’s the ideal place for visually appealing products such as clothes, jewelry, cosmetics, and home decor items. But don’t just sit back and wait for those all those juicy sales to land at your feet. You’ve got to know how to use Instagram for your e-commerce business.

To engage your target audience and boost product sales on Instagram, it’s essential to know how to write great posts. In this article, we’re serving up nine must-have tips on how to write killer Instagram captions that will help drive customers to buy more of your products on Amazon and other ecommerce platforms.

Instagram Ecom Tip #1: Write A Killer Opener

The shocking truth is that the attention span of modern customers is now less than that of goldfish. According to Microsoft’s report, people lose concentration after just eight seconds.

So, if it takes your customers more than eight seconds to read your post, you need to find the right words to grab attention and make people curious. Otherwise, there’s little chance that your followers will read your entire Instagram post. The best way to do that is to start the caption with a catchy, intriguing phrase that hooks your audience.

And keep in mind that the maximum length of an Instagram caption is 2,200 characters. But when scrolling through their feed, users see only the first 45 characters of the caption. For this reason, the “attention grabber” should be around 45 characters long when using Instagram for ecommerce.

Now, you might think that your major task is to write about your products. But it’s not. Talking about your products all the time won’t build relationships and entice followers. To develop relationships with your customers, you need to have a conversation. Show who you are and show interest in others. Don’t just talk about yourself.

Here are some content ideas to engage your Instagram followers.

Instagram Ecommerce Tip #2: Use Humor

Why do people use Instagram? Most customers use the ‘Gram just to kill boredom. They’re searching for interesting and funny content to entertain themselves.

So, if you want to engage your customers on Instagram and drive sales of your e-commerce product, try to use humor and irony. Add a hilarious joke or funny wordplay to your caption, and watch the likes and comments from your followers roll in.

If writing is not your cup of tea, and you have no idea how to create a funny caption on Instagram, don’t hesitate to get professional assistance. You may hire a freelance creative writer from Upwork, or use writing services such as WowGrade.

Instagram Ecommerce Tip #3: Don’t Be Too Salesy

If you are a solopreneur, you can write a few posts about yourself. If you run a big ecommerce store, you can share stories of your key employees. You can write about their personal and professional achievements or explain their roles within your company.

Your customers will be glad to learn more about people who stand behind your brand. If you write about your employees, you’ll help your audience to trust your business and your products more.

Instagram Ecom Tip #4: Incite Controversy

If you want to create online buzz for your new product, write an Instagram post that’s controversial. Make a statement that will get people to start a discussion and express their opinions.

Some of your followers will agree with you; others will not. But if you do everything in the right way, you will make people talk about your new product. You will boost brand awareness. And as a consequence, it will likely positively affect your sales. The key here is not to take advantage of anyone or any unfortunate situation, but to bring differing views to light that will act like a lightning rod for engagement.

Instagram Ecommerce Tip #5: Use Quotes

Social media users like quotes, and Instagram users are no exception to the rule. If you use a thought-provoking quote as the Instagram caption in your marketing, it’ll help you grab customers’ attention.

Neightan White, a blogger and marketer for IsAccurate and SupremeDissertations, recommends: “Use short, yet witty quotes that are more likely to be saved and shared with friends. It will help you to boost engagement and take your Instagram to the next level.”

Instagram Ecommerce Tip #6: Master Storytelling

Storytelling is an integral part of any e-commerce marketing campaign, and your Instagram feed is no exception. If you want to use storytelling as part of your Instagram campaign, go ahead! Tell your customers why you started your company and how your customers succeed using your products.

When writing a caption, keep in mind that there are five basic elements to a good story:

Main character – It can be a real person, e.g., your employee, or your customer. Or it can be a fictional character that represents a customer, for example.

Content – Explain to your customers what happened, when and where.

Motivation – Provide the reason behind the actions of the characters.

Conflict – Describe the driving conflict or what keeps your main character from getting what they want.

Resolution – End your story on a positive note. Give them a happy ending!

Instagram Ecommerce Tip #7: Express Your Brand Personality

According to statistics, more than 95 million posts are published on Instagram. Every. Single. Day. Some of these posts are great; others are not. If you want your Instagram posts to be noticed, create content that uniquely expresses your brand. Put your own spin on the content.

Focus on your niche, vision of your ecommerce company and the message you wish to spread. Be specific. Personalizing your Instagram posts shows how your brand differs from other bands, and why people should choose to buy from you.

Instagram Ecom Tip #8: Invite Your Followers to Tag Friends

​Do you want more people to see your post? Ask your followers to tag their friends in the comments to increase reach and engagement. Very few posts will ever go viral all by themselves, so give your Instagram marketing for your ecommerce brand a little extra boost. Simply ask people to share your posts. Bonus points for doing it in a fun way, like in the example pictured from Guess.

Instagram Ecommerce Tip #9: Hashtags, Hashtags, Hashtags

If you want to increase reach and engagement on Instagram, add hashtags to every post about your products. Hashtags will help people find your post, and that makes them more likely to engage (and buy) your products.
There are a few types of hashtags that you can use in your Instagram marketing:

– Your own branded hashtags

– Hashtags that name or describe your product

– Hashtags that relate the photo

– Trending or popular hashtags that are relevant to the post (e.g., #tbt, #transformationtuesday, #longlegsfordays)

Don’t be tempted to add irrelevant hashtags to your Instagram marketing to boost sales. It won’t help you to achieve better results, it’ll just make you look spammy. Also, keep in mind that Instagram allows you to use up to 30 hashtags per post, but don’t go overboard in marketing your products. Experts recommend using from one to seven hashtags in your Instagram posts.

The Bottom Line on Instagram Marketing for Your Ecommerce Business:

If you want to increase ecommerce sales using Instagram marketing for ecommerce, the key is to keep your target audience engaged. Before someone can buy from you, they have to pay attention to you. To do that, you should not only publish photos but also write interesting and funny captions. Use this article as a guide to create awesome posts that will draw customers’ attention to your products on Amazon or to your own website.

This article was contributed by freelance writer Diana Nadim Adjadj of 3 to 5 Marketing.

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